All for multi-tasking and passing the boredom of standing in the grocery line, this new application from The Extraordinaries has gotten me excited about the new possibilities of volunteering.

Smartphone software that allows someone to use micro amounts of spare time for social good. We deliver volunteer tasks on-demand directly to the phone like a stream of new adventures, that people complete on the phone in a few minutes, while riding the bus or waiting in line. It’s information age volunteerism, enabling doctors, scientists, organizations, and more to harness the power of the crowd.

While my quality of life is enhanced by learning the latest gossip in the tabloids and in the lives of celebrities, the possibilities of micro-volunteerism may be equally as thrilling (and certainly more useful).  I’m hesitant to love the new jargony term, but I love how the term makes volunteering more accessible and more dispersed.  Less about a central system and more about doing a little for a lot of different organizations/causes/etc.

I’m not alone in the excitement over The Extraordinaries - they’ve just won $25,000 through the We Media Pitch It! Awards.  The global is now very local. 

Kudos to the Administration for passing a Stimulus bill that, both in voice and in funds, supports volunteerism and community activism.  While I’m still not sold or sure of the government’s increasing presence in the sector (i.e. Office of Social Innovation), its not being overdone…yet. 

The combination between improvements in public diplomacy and philanthropy by the government will go a long way in cleaning up the U.S.’s image.  I was nearly giddy to see the State Department’s new blog and twitter feed (@dipnote).  It won’t be the end all, but it opens communication - and transparency.

With people excited about the U.S.’s role in the world once again and with folks fired up to volunteer, its no wonder that PeaceCorps and Teach for America’s application numbers are increasing.  I would think that the U.S. Foreign Service is experiencing the same increase - or will be shortly.

With the increase in funding via the Stimulus plan for these service-based opportunities, it will be interesting to see how organizational capacity will function.  Will an increase in funding and an increase in applications result in more candidates hired to serve - or will candidates simply need to be more qualified?  How is “qualified” defined?  The Chronicle of Philanthropy asked this same question about the future of AmeriCorps - the comments posted debate the quality v. quantity of candidates, the effectiveness of individual programs, and how to improve AmeriCorps on whole.

The country has just received the message, “go and out get involved”.  While an increase in funding is available and the government support is encouraging, change will not happen overnight.    Application rates may rise, but organizational capacity to handle the influx may not increase.  The number of applicants will rise, but the diversity of applicants and skill sets may not.  Excitement to serve is heightened, but increased capacity and stronger support are not necessarily included.

I love seeing public diplomacy and philanthropy getting their time in the sun.  If taken slowly and applied correctly the increase in funding and popularity will be a huge success - both for U.S. image and for citizen pride.  We can’t take this recent surge in transparency and interest as a quick fix - its for the long term, and folks need to be ready to commit to that.

Following my previous and optimistic post of a new era for community service, I’m now going to flip the argument.  While I straddle both U.S. and Canadian philanthropy in this financial downturn and watch as both governments “turn on the taps” and run deficit budgets for this year - I’ve become curious at how long the taps will stay turned on, how effective the spending will be, and what happens when they are suddenly shut off - if community service ceases to be the little darling it appears?

Already the articles and blogs are flying in both directions - arguing fundamental points: is government spending more effective than private innovation or is the reverse true?  Or a better question, does someone know how we can do both? 

While this NYT Op-Ed thinks that more national and community volunteer opportunities could help save the economy, Pablo Eisenberg writing an Op-Ed for the Chronicle of Philanthropy debates whether a Public Service Academy would create results and be worth the expense?  The blogs are also elucidating on the theme - from providing debt/loan relief for graduates who spend time in the sector to the importance of the Administration to engage non-profits in their planning.

From this perspective, I’m still optimistic that government support is the right way forward.  But I think there are limits and the sector should not start over-relying on its sudden popularity.  There has been amazing innovation in the sector over the past eight years - because there had to be.  The sector certainly deserves this attention from a new Administration, but more importantly, it deserves continued attention from the citizens. 

Let's be honest, the volunteer and service opportunities have always been there - you just had to take the initiative to look.  Greater engagement, for whatever reason, is certainly a reason to celebrate, but quantity does not ensure quality. Government is helping to kick-start interest, but the sector must continue innovation to maintain this new momentum.

Move aside depressing economic outlook articles, this is going to be an exciting week.  If only I could be in D.C. for a front row view!

If you aren't lucky enough to have MLK Jr. Day as a national holiday and a day to volunteer your time, there is room for participation from all corners of the world.  It's time to get out and serve - and Change.org, ServiceNation, and USAService.org are making it accessible for the masses.

And its not just the citizenry getting in on the act, House Democrats have included support for non-profit social services in their economic stimulus package. 

If you haven't caught the ”Change” bug yet, try a listen of McYogi's Be the Change and see if that helps to inspire.

It's going to be a good week - and let's hope all of this good energy doesn't fizzle out within the first 100 days. 

A few interesting bits from this past week: 

The Global Perspectives on Major Donor Fundraising conference took place in London in November.  The December issue of Alliance includes a thoughtful summary of some of its biggest topics - including whether we should take a more donor-centered view towards fundraising and if the idea of major gifts works in other countries.  Some questions to consider - Who's life “enhancement” should be first priority to fundraisers, the donor or the recipient?  Major gifts do not play a huge role in some countries - does this change the dynamics of fundraising and operations entirely?

Pulling from Alliance once again and tying to some of my explorations on Venture Philanthropy, Ravinol Chambers also explores the ups and downs of the VP model.  One way to look at it is, aside from all of the hype, VP is one tool in the toolbox.  It's new and innovative - and that is exciting for the sector, but its not a silver bullet.

Much of what folks in the VP world do like is information and the sector absolutely needs to continuous improvement here.  The Hewlett Foundation and McKinsey have teamed up in their Nonprofit Marketplace to answer two questions:  1.) How can we help donors make smart philanthropic decisions?   2.)How can we ensure that the strongest, most effective nonprofits get the resources they need?  The innovative part - is they want to hear from you.

Finally, and courtesy of my inbox, Chronicle of Philanthropy looks at Humanity United - an organization started by Pam Omidyar (wife of Pierre Omidyar, again speaking of VP) to combat mass violence and modern-day slavery, two topics that are rarely touched within philanthropy.  The structure has two arms - one with a charity status and one that focuses on advocacy for the issues at hand, and similar to the Omidyar Network, HU makes grants, loans, and looks to support socially driving businesses.  An interesting bit is that the organization generally provides operating support - beliving that unrestricted funds are the best way for charities to grow and advance their goals.  The article needs a paid subscription to view, but if you are interested, I may be able to forward along.

If your weekend includes -30 C like mine does … Stay Warm!

There is an electric feeling in the air and a sense of optimism that feels so fresh - as though we’ve finally sloughed off the woolly, fear-laden misery of the last eight years.  I would say it feels like spring, but there is snow on the ground. 

Last night's victory by Barak Obama was historic - a clear example that America is empowered to choose its future direction with Americans setting the course.  While there is much to celebrate, there is much to do. 

In acceptance and conciliatory speeches alike, the candidates, each a role model in service to the country, emphasized that we must get on with our work , and there is much work to be done. Obama's words put it clearly into perspective:

“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers , in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.”

What can this new spirit of service look like? 

For starters, both Obama and McCain are co-sponsors of the Serve America Act sponsored by Edward Kennedy to usher in renewed commitment to strengthen community service and increase funding for innovative, non-profit programs.  Tripling participation in Ameri-Corps, incenting non-profit programs to reach scale, and helping to recruit more volunteers are just a few key initiatives of the Act.  

Newly introduced, it will be the will of both parties to protect this bill from bogging down in the too-much/not-enough-government-intervention debates surrounding philanthropy and the charitable sector.  Our politicians must remember, they are among the strongest role models for service that our country has to offer , and now, they must lead to make this vision a reality.

Beyond the government and its role in promoting service and responsibility, there is the opportunity for each American to find a place where they can serve.  On their neighbourhood block's safety watch, with their religious organization's food drive, fundraising for a NGO working in the developing world, as a young person starting their own social venture, mid-career service on the board of a local non-profit, as a retired person contributing their professional skills to the Peace Corpsand most importantly, as an ordinary citizen being aware of and curious at the world around them.  The options are limitless.

But hard work starts now.  Don't wait.  Yes you can.

I’ll be away for a while - collecting my thoughts in the Pacific - but wanted to leave the blog on a happier note than the economy and financial markets.

Social Edge (a program of the Skoll Foundation - and one of my favorite emails to receive) has added four brief case studies from Tactics of Hope, a new book by Wilford Welch and David Hopkins highlighting the work of folks “transforming personal concerns into meaningful actions”. 

I haven't yet read the book; it's on the list.  But these short case studies pay tribute to ”the possibilities” of action - perhaps a nice mental vacation from crisis and panic.

A couple of weeks ago, I thought I was writing on the worst the economy had to offer.  Fast forward to now - the world is involved and my local newspaper is reporting on the expected dip in non-profit donations.  The economy, coupled with the newly released Matthew Bishop/Michael Green book on Philanthrocapitalism, has me wondering - how do you cultivate new gifts and sustainable giving?

In an ideal world, every child would be using their “Spend, Save, Share” banks from an early age and “giving back” would be an engrained social norm.  The positive evidence that this may be the trend is coming from the Millennials values of social change, an increase in organizations addressing financial education for youth, and the increase of access to giving tools on social networking sites and through Web 2.0 technologies.

However, while these trends might indicate that the next generation will be more likely to give their time and money, how does a non-profit reach all demographics right now?  Is it more sustainable to look for 99% of donations in 1% of wealth or to attempt to change behavior for those who are not engaged in philanthropy?  Does the location matter and if so, how does a city become more philanthropic?  At a country level, how does government's social funding (for health care, education, etc) affect the public's opinion on supplementing this funding with their own money? 

A city's typical givers might be in their 60's, 70's, and 80's - yet, much wealth is accumulating among people in their 30's, 40's, and 50's.  If these folks (and companies run by these folks) are not already pre-disposed to giving a portion of their wealth to charity, how do you reach them?  How do you reach cities with sprawl, where young professional families do not live in a central downtown core?  How do you reach inside the mighty corporations, with windfall profits, who do not subscribe to the belief of giving away 1% of their pre-tax profits?

These are not new questions, per se, but the time is right to be asking them again. In many places, creative solutions are being offered - professional organizations and networking encourage the discussion, giving circles are established among friends, and web-based applications making giving possible from your own home.  However, the audience to be reached is not those already informed, but those who need to be.  It's a creative challenge - and one that will take “local variations on a theme” to be successful.

While my mind has been swirling around Wall Street these past few days, a few philanthropy bits have caught my attention.

Going to the Dogs- If you recall that a few of Leona Helmsley's millions were left to the care and welfare of dogs, you might appreciate the Hudson Institute's panel discussion (September 5) discussing the implications of her trust, its perpetuity, and the dilemma of estate taxes.  The conversation moves quickly away from the dogs and on to more pressing topics of philanthropy and foundations.  If you are keen on the sector, the panelist names may perk your interest - or quickly dissolve it. 

Tell me More- It always excites me to find new resources emerging in the area of transparency including:  the forth-coming Foundation Review, the first peer-reviewed journal in philanthropy; the UK-based Intelligent Giving, a clever site and charity offering insight on how charities operate; and Acumen Fund's announcement of the  Portfolio Data Management System, hoping to set the standard for financial and social reporting data in development.

Events-The Clinton Global Initiative wrapped up last week with 250 commitments equalling $8 billion.  The Chronicle of Philanthropy offers daily commentary on the week's biggest events.  Two exciting events are on their way in October including the SSIR's Online Giving Marketplace  on how sites such as DonorsChoose, Kiva, and Global Giving are changing philanthropy and Social Capital Markets 08 gathering entrepreneurs, funder, and social-business model enthusiasts on what works and what doesn't.

International Philanthropy-Its a bit of a narrow world, so I’m always keen to find and share stories of what is happening.  Global Fund for Community Foundations passes its one year mark and notes some of its progress in this Alliance article - but of greatest interest are the brief mentions of how other countries conceptualize “community foundations” and what in a countries’ culture and current climate might make these foundations more susceptible to success and sustainability. 

Now I’m back to the rescue of the rescue.

…fundraising, grantseeking, proposal writing, corporate giving?  Check out the Foundation Center's free webinars on these topics.  A good introduction to philanthropy and an even better example of accessible learning via the web.

(I’ve taking a proposal writing course from the FC - but otherwise, have no affiliation.)